Neverland
by beginswithkay
Summary: "Second star to the right and straight on 'til morning." Natsu has saved Lucy from her abusive home, but will Neverland be any better? Lucy is on the path to face jealousy, hatred, evil, and life-threatening situations. Most importantly of all, though, she finds love and a family in Fairy Tail- is it all worth giving up the world as she knows it?
1. Neverland

_"_ _Mama, look! You see those stars right there?" Lucy tilted her head as she lifted her arm to point out the small group of stars. "They look like a lion. Don't you see?"_

 _Layla, who lay on the grass next to Lucy, gave a small laugh. "Yep, you're definitely my daughter. You have a great eye."_

 _Excitement bubbled up within her, and Lucy sat up quickly. She grinned down at her mother and clapped her hands together before demanding, "So you see it, too?! It is a lion!"_

 _Nodding, her mother turned her gaze back to the stars. "Not just any lion. That's Leo."_

 _Returning to her position on her back, Lucy repeated the name slowly. "Leo."_

 _"_ _Yes, dear." Taking Lucy's smaller hand in her own, Layla used Lucy's index finger to trace the shape of the lion. "Leo was the strongest lion to ever have existed. His fur was indestructible; no weapon, no matter how powerful, could inflict harm on it."_

 _Smiling at the image of a bunch of nomads in shock as their arrows bounced off the mysterious lion, Lucy inquired, "What happened to him?"_

 _"_ _He was eventually killed by Hercules, son of Zeus."_

 _Shocked, Lucy jerked her head to stare at her mother indignantly. "Killed? But why would Hercules want to kill him?"_

 _Layla smiled sympathetically and patted her head affectionately. "The lion did a lot of bad things. He was endangering many lives, including women and children. Hercules had no choice, just like your father would have no choice if someone was endangering you."_

 _Lucy returned her gaze to the lion, the stars twinkling mysteriously. She wondered if he was listening to their conversation from the Heavens. "Well, he couldn't be that bad if he's with the stars now. Maybe he just didn't know any better, ya know? I'm sure he didn't want to hurt anyone."_

 _Her mother was silent, and as Lucy turned to her questioningly, she swore she saw a great sadness within her eyes before Layla cleared her throat and faced the sky once more. "You always see the best in people, Lucy. I hope you never lose that gift in a world full of so much hate and jealousy."_

 _Lucy frowned at her mother's negative words, but before she could question her, Layla sat up and turned towards her daughter with a wild grin. "Hey, Lucy. It's almost midnight."_

 _Immediately distracted, Lucy leaped up in joy. "Mama, we gotta go get papa!"_

 _Laughing, Layla scrambled up and began running towards their mansion on the hill, shouting over her shoulder, "I'll race you!"_

 _Giggling, Lucy turned towards the sky and spoke quietly, "If you were here, Leo, I would definitely invite you. My 6th birthday is going to be the best one yet."_

 _With that said, Lucy raced towards her home, already having lost sight of her mother behind all of the pine trees._

 _Behind her, Lucy suddenly heard the growls and panting of some kind of predator that brought chills up her spine and the hair on her body to stand up in alarm. She forced her legs to go faster._

 _Twigs and branches slapped at her face and the cold air stung her skin, but she couldn't slow down. Why did her mother leave her?_

 _Even as her house came into view, Lucy didn't slow down. She sprinted up the back porch and threw the doors open. Immediately, she was hit with the sense that something was terribly wrong. There were no lights on, and it was eerily quiet. Where were her parents?_

 _"_ _Mama? Papa?" Forgetting about the predator, Lucy stepped into her home quietly, nervousness bubbling up within her._

 _Hearing a small creak from within the kitchen, Lucy swallowed her fear and began walking towards the door. Reaching, she slowly pushed it open._

 _Her mother, a dark silhouette, swung limply from the ceiling, rope digging into the flesh of her neck._

 _Lucy stood frozen in shock for a brief moment and then spun around at the sound of a menacing growl directly behind her._

 _It was a lion, large and fierce. In her daze, Lucy marveled at his beauty. Smooth skin, full mane, harsh hazel eyes._

 _Delirious, Lucy blinked. "Leo?"_

 _The lion pounced._

 _—_

 _"_ _MAMA!"_ Lucy screamed, flying into a sitting position in her bed with her legs tangled in the sheets. Panting heavily, Lucy wiped her sweat and tear drenched face with the back of her arm.

Placing her right hand over her heart, Lucy took deep breaths until she felt her heartbeat slow down.

Over and over again, she had the same nightmare. It began as a memory but then took nasty different turns after their conversation about Leo. In real life during that fateful summer ten years prior, Lucy had fallen asleep to the buzz of crickets, birds, and lightning bugs. She had woken up in the morning to an eerie quietness in the house, and when she went to look for her mother, she found her father instead.

She could still remember his grim face as he told her Layla had left and wasn't going to be returning.

Lucy flinched. She had tried for years to not believe it, but after so long, she was forced to realize the hard truth. Her mother had left her.

Lucy flopped back on her bed, staring at her ceiling forlornly. When she woke up that dreadful day, she had noticed lit up stars littered around her ceiling, all in the shapes of her favorite constellations. Leo was centered.

It had been almost like a farewell gift.

Growling, Lucy leaped up in a rage. How _dare_ her mother abandon her?

Jumping, Lucy yanked the stars from her ceiling one at a time, hurtling them at her walls where the small glass figures shattered.

Who did her mother think she was?

The pieces continue to fly from her hands until only Leo remained, his stars still glittering mysteriously.

Her eyes began watering and Lucy felt the telltale signs that a breakdown was coming. Why was she so weak? That was probably why her mother left her.

Once again rage filled every cell in her body. Her mother was supposed to love her, to cherish and nurture her. Yet hers had _abandoned her_.

She yanked down her favorite stars with a ferocity so strange, she surprised herself. Holding them in her hand, she crushed them with her fingers. The pain of the glass cutting into her fingers was slightly refreshing, and Lucy stared at the small amount of blood dripping onto her hard wood floor.

Blinking, Lucy whispered the words she heard her father say so often. "Hey, Layla. _Fuck you_."

And damn, they felt good.

—

Breakfast, lunch, and now dinner were all the same. Lucy was placed on one end of their long dining table, with her father at the other. No words were spoken except for her hushed thanks to the servants who brought them their food.

She pushed her mashed potatoes around her plate with her fork silently, already wishing for her warm bed with her dog, Plue. She had cleaned up the mess in her room shortly after her outburst and patched up her cut up fingers with small bandaids.

Not that it actually mattered, anyway. Her father wouldn't ask.

Sighing, Lucy forced herself to swallow a piece of her steak and grimaced at the dry texture. Their cooks definitely weren't the best.

Her mother used to do all the cooking, and every meal had been wonderful. Now, the servants were still scrambling to be half as good of a chef she was.

Her father cleared his throat, and Lucy froze. Her eyes flew to his face uncertainly, and her heart skipped a beat when she noticed his nervous expression.

Could it be that he remembered?

As soon as the thought crossed her mind, Lucy dismissed it bitterly. How could he possibly forget that this was the day Layla disappeared out of their lives forever? Never mind the fact that it was his daughter's birthday.

"Lucy," he began, and Lucy stiffened at his gruff tone. Her body was still sore from his beating two days ago, and she didn't know if she could handle another punishment.

After she simply blinked at him in question, he rolled his eyes and dismissed her with a flick of his hand. "You should go to bed." It wasn't a suggestion, it was an order. "You have a big day tomorrow."

Ah, so he didn't cancel the meeting, afterall. Her eyes flashed angrily, but she bit her tongue. Their last argument ended with her a bloody limp mess. So instead of giving him a piece of her mind, Lucy nodded her head stiffly and rose to go to her bedroom.

"Oh, and Lucy…" Her eyes met his once more, hope blossoming in her heart at his soft tone. _Just say the words_ , she begged silently. "Your dog is dead."

 _Happy birthday to me._

 _—_

Lucy held back her tears until she had reached the safety of her bedroom, and she slowly closed and locked the door.

Sinking into her window seat in the corner of her room, Lucy unlocked the latch and threw open the window doors. Tears silently slid down her cheeks as she studied the open night sky before her. In the far distance, between lit up skyscrapers, she could see the clock tower. It looked smaller than the palm of her hand, but Lucy knew better. Her mother had taken her there when she was just five, and Lucy had been in awe at the magnificence and size of the monument.

That was also the same year she had been given Plue. He had been her best and only friend for so long, Lucy was unsure how she was going to go on without him.

Sniffling, she turned her gaze to the constellation she had deemed her guardian angel. Many nights, when she wasn't talking to Plue, she poured her heart out to the lion in the sky. "Leo, what shall I do? Tomorrow I am going to meet the man my father is determined for me to marry."

As the words left her mouth, Lucy suddenly realized the reality of it all and panic swallowed her whole. She leaped up from her seat and began running around her room in a frenzy, grabbing random clothes and objects and throwing them on her bed. She yanked up a book bag from the bottom of her closet and shoved the small pile into the bag.

However, as soon as she zipped it close, she realized the absurdity of running away. She would have no where to go, and in a city as big as London, that was dangerous. Living with her father was terrible, but she wasn't naive enough to think it was the worst thing out there. There were real monsters out there; rapists, murders, arsonists.

No, Lucy couldn't run away. As she returned to her window seat, leaning against the wall and wrapping her arms around her curled up legs, she looked to the sky with a bitter finality.

She would stay and marry the man her father presented to her, but she would spend every waking day saving up money. Once she had enough gathered, she _would_ run away to the land of freedom and opportunity- America.

Despite her conclusion, tears continued to slide down her cheeks.

She missed her mother, Plue, and the man her father used to be.

Closing her eyes, she began to dream of what her life could have been if her mother had never abandoned them.

—

"Pun, puuuuun."

Lucy felt something wet and slimy slide against the side of her face, and she blinked groggily. Had she fallen asleep?

"Puuuun, puuun."

Gasping, Lucy's eyes flew open at the sound of her dog. Sure enough, his small white face was peering directly into hers curiously. A grin erupted across her countenance, and she threw her arms around him happily. "Oh, Plue! I thought you were _dead-_ " She stopped in confusion. That's right, he was supposed to be dead. Pulling back to study Plue, who simply licked her face again in excitement, she decided that he definitely wasn't dead. Irritation swept through her. "Of course he would lie about you being dead."

"Pun, pun."

"You got one weird dog."

Lucy gave a small scream at the strange masculine voice coming from her room and clutched Plue to her chest protectively. She squinted in the darkness, but since it was a new moon, she could see nothing but shadows. "W-Who's there?!" She demanded in what she intended to be a firm tone but came out in a squeak anyway.

The person chuckled. "A weird dog for a weirdo, I guess."

Narrowing her eyes, she snapped, "Listen here, you intruder! If you don't show yourself right now-" Plue suddenly began struggling within her hold wildly, and Lucy dropped him in surprise when his claw scratched against one of her many bruises. He raced into the darkness of her room, and Lucy, panicking, scrambled after him. For all she knew, her unwanted intruder could hurt her dog.

She followed him to her bed but just as she reached out to grab him, he leaped onto her mattress and into the hold of a pink haired boy around her age, who was sprawled out on her bed not even a foot in front of her. Lucy paused, her heart skipping a beat as she looked into his charcoal eyes. He grinned, small canines poking out over his bottom lip, and Lucy blinked in realization- the intruder!

Lucy gasped in shock, clambering backwards only to trip over a shoe and fall on her butt. Her face lit up in flames as the boy guffawed, clutching his stomach and _her_ dog as Plue panted and jumped all over him happily.

"How _dare_ you- Who do you think you are?" Lucy demanded, crossing her arms over her chest angrily.

He wiped what she guessed were tears of laughter from his eyes, and still chuckling, he stood up and placed Plue on her bed. After patting the dog's head, he took a step towards her and crouched down to her level where she still sat on the ground. Holding out his hand for her to shake, he gave her another grin. "I'm Natsu Dragneel."

Glaring first at his hand and then at his stupidly attractive face, Lucy narrowed her eyes in irritation. "Let me rephrase that." Ignoring his proffered hand, she stood and towered over him as she attempted to appear intimidating. "Why are you in _my_ room?"

"Ah, that," Natsu shrugged, standing up as well. Lucy pouted briefly when she noted he was a good five or six inches taller than her. How could she be intimidating if she was so short? "I saw some man leave your dog chained up out deep in the woods. I walked up to your dog, and he asked me to bring him back to you, so I did."

Lucy blinked. "Uh.. I'm sorry, he _asked_ you?"

Natsu nodded. "Yeah, he's pretty bossy."

Behind him, Plue made a small noise of protest. Natsu waved him off. "Yeah, yeah."

Lucy's mouth dropped open, and she took several steps back. "You-! You're crazy!"

Natsu glared at her. "Am not!"

"You're talking to a dog!"

"You were talking to him, too!"

"But that- that's different!"

"Is not."

"Is too!" Lucy insisted, stamping her foot down in irritation. "He's _my_ dog, and I don't pretend like he responds."

"I do not pretend!" Natsu shouted indignantly.

"You're nuts!"

Natsu threw up his arms in exasperation. "Is this the thanks I get for returning your dumb dog?"

Before Lucy could respond, they both paused as Lucy's bedroom door handle began rattling. Lucy froze, motioning for Natsu not to move. She prayed that it was simply one of the servants and that they would leave after a few moments of silence.

However, a violent knocking came along with her father yelling at her to open the door, and Lucy was left in near tears. Her father was going to kill her.

Plue crawled under the bed, whimpering in fear.

Panicking, Lucy began shoving Natsu towards the window, and spoke in urgent whispering, "You have to leave, he'll kill us both!"

Natsu glanced at the door suspiciously, "Who is it?"

"My father," she responded bitterly. Pushing him onto the window seat, Lucy peered down the window. They were four stories up, and it was a rather long way down.

Her father was screaming at her now, kicking and punching the door in violent rage. "Lucy, open this door now!"

She flinched. She didn't think she ever heard her father be this angry before. Ignoring Natsu's questioning stare, Lucy motioned out the window. "Do you think you can climb down the wall? There's a lot of ivy to grab onto."

Natsu snorted, reaching into the pocket of his black trousers and pulling out a small canvas bag. Shaking it in front of her face, he responded mischievously, "Who said anything about climbing?"

Suddenly, a loud splintering crack reminded them that her father was breaking down her door.

Lucy swallowed before returning her stare to the bag. Near the opening, she swore she saw something glittering from within. "How's a bag supposed to help you?"

Grinning, he opened the bag and lifting his hand, he dumped the contents over top the both of them.

Lucy blinked in surprise, gazing dazedly at the glitter now covering her body. She slid a finger down her arm, marveling at the softness of the strange substance. "What… What is this?"

Natsu stood on her windowseat, offering his hand to her. Glancing at him, Lucy briefly sat in awe. The glitter had a strange luminescence that lit up his face, his deep charcoal eyes focused on hers. He was… handsome.

This time, hearing the door behind them cracking even more, she took his hand.

He pulled her up beside him. "Watch this." Winking, he let go of her, only to fall backwards- right out of her window.

Lucy screamed in terror, jerking forward to grab him. Her fingertips barely brushed against the tips of his shoes. "Natsu!"

She dropped to her knees, leaning over the windowsill as she searched the ground for his body frantically. "Natsu!"

"Yes?" His head popped down from the top of her window, and Lucy gave another scream of surprise, banging heads against his as she scrambled back into her room, falling off the window seat and landing on her butt for the second time that night.

"Owwwwww," she moaned, rubbing her head. At the sound of Natsu laughing, Lucy's eyes nearly bugged out. He was upside down! After he had just fallen out of the window! "How- how- how is that _possible_?"

Natsu grinned coyly. "Secret."

Lucy groaned in irritation but before she could respond, she heard another splintering crack from the door. Although her father had insisted only the sturdiest doors be used when building their house, they were not impossible to break through. Especially considering he was using some kind of tool.

Lucy glanced back at Natsu, who was narrowing his eyes at the door as if trying to see through it. She sighed, standing up and climbing up onto the window seat. Peering up at the rest of his body, she was unsurprised to see he wasn't holding onto anything. He was simply… floating. She rubbed her temples tiredly. "Man, am I going crazy or what."

Natsu did a small flip off her wall and as his body floated in mid-air, he rested his elbows on her window sill as he peered up at her. "Yeah, you probably are."

Rolling her eyes, she lightly shoved his shoulder. "You should go. He's going to break through those doors any second."

Something flashed within his eyes, and he glanced from the door back to her again. He shifted into a standing position, and Lucy stared at his feet in amazement. He was standing on air- it was _impossible_. It was all just impossible.

He held out his hand expectantly. When she simply looked at him in confusion, he gestured out at the night impatiently. "Well, aren't you coming?"

Lucy froze in shock. "But… I don't even know you."

He grinned. "Guess you just gotta trust me. 'Sides, anywhere has got to be better than that right?" He pointed at the door, where her father was still yelling curses and hacking into the good 6 inches wide worth of hard wood.

Lucy shivered in anticipation. If she stayed here, she would be beaten worse than ever before. Her father would demand to know what had happened, and how could she explain Natsu? She would have to lie, and that never turned out pleasant with him.

Glancing back to Natsu, she studied him. Although he held a mischievous air around him, his eyes were kind, and Lucy was sure he wouldn't hurt her.

Having made up her mind, she motioned for him to wait before running towards her bed. Gently pulling Plue out from under the bed, she unzipped her bag and placed him it. Scratching behind his ears affectionately, Lucy whispered, "Don't worry, we're getting out of here. Just stay put in here for me."

Zipping the bag up, but leaving a small air hole for Plue, Lucy strapped the bag to her back. Taking a deep breath and pushing down all her worries, she went back to the window seat where Natsu was waiting. "Okay, I'm ready."

Natsu raised an eyebrow at her bag. "What, were you expecting me?"

Lucy smiled for the first time in what seemed like forever. "Yeah, something like that."

Rolling his eyes, he muttered something about her being a weirdo, before offering his hand once more.

Stepping onto her window seat, Lucy peered down at the ground anxiously. "But won't I fall?"

"Nah. If you believe you can do it then you will."

Lucy tried not to think about the craziness of the situation. Afterall, she was running away with the strangest boy she had ever met, and he was a complete stranger. Shaking such thoughts from her mind, Lucy took his warm hand and closed her eyes. Repeating in her mind that she was simply walking onto firm ground, she took a large step out.

Gasping, her eyes flew open, and she looked down. She could see ground far below her, but she wasn't falling.

Laughing giddily, she squeezed Natsu's hand and pointed towards the ground. "Natsu, this is amazing!"

He whooped loudly and suddenly Lucy felt herself being tugged upwards. She grasped onto Natsu's arm in fear as the ground became further and further away.

"Don't look down, look all around you!" Natsu called down at her, his eyes flickering everywhere.

Lucy glanced back at her home almost guiltily. She was abandoning her father without a word or trace. Just like her mother.

Forcing her unwanted tears away, she focused on all those times he had yelled at or hit her. He wasn't her father anymore. Turning her gaze to focus on the beautiful city of London, Lucy was amazed. Natsu took her right above the tops of trees, and Lucy grinned at the impossibility of it all. Experimentally letting go of his hand, Lucy laughed in glee when she kept _soaring_. Natsu met her eyes for a brief moment before motioning her to follow him.

They passed over building after building, and Lucy suddenly found herself at the heart of the city. The clock tower.

She hadn't been here since she was five with her mother. Tears came to her eyes at the rush of memories, but as she followed Natsu to the large clock hands, she was delighted as the clock struck midnight. The beautiful, strong chimes were often the ones that had put her to sleep.

Natsu took her hand, pulling her back upwards towards the sky. "C'mon, we're gonna be late."

"Late?" Lucy asked, still marveling at the city beneath her. "But where are we going?"

He turned to give her an ear-to-ear grin, and Lucy couldn't help but smile back in return. "Neverland, of course. Look, there it is." He pointed out at the sky, two stars twinkling brightly. "Second star to the right and straight on 'til morning."

—

Author's note; ugh I meant it to be short but when I start writing about Natsu, it's like I can't stop lolll. See ya next chapter :)

-K


	2. Pirates

This was one of those perfect moments where Lucy wanted to memorize every detail so that she could look back on it years from now.

With the sunrise behind them reflecting beautiful orange and yellow hues, Lucy soared over the ocean with her finger dipped into the water directly below her. Her left hand was clasped in Natsu's warm one, and for a brief fleeting moment, Lucy suddenly felt like she belonged for the first time since her mother disappeared.

That ended, of course, when Natsu was suddenly violently jerking her towards the island that was blossoming within her view.

Lucy scowled. What a mood killer. As if hearing her thoughts, Natsu gave her another savage yank. "Ouch, Natsu! Are you trying to pull my arm out of socket?'

Natsu shushed her, pointing towards their right as he continued to lead her quickly to the island.

Lucy turned and squinted into the fog. In the misty haze, she could barely make out the shape of a skull flag flapping around in the wind. Beneath it was nothing but darkness.

She gave a small gasp of surprise when her vision was suddenly obstructed by leaves and she was being slapped repeatedly in the face by twigs.

They had reached the island, but Natsu was pulling her to the right towards the skull flag.

Lucy shivered in anticipation. Skulls were a symbol of death, and that couldn't be a good sign. However, Natsu continued to head in its direction.

He came to an abrupt stop, and Lucy slammed into his back. Moaning in pain, she clutched her head and opened her mouth to scold him but froze as she looked over his shoulder.

They had stopped just before a river side, hiding behind wild green bushes. The largest boat Lucy had ever seen was sailing through the pristine water. A large black flag with a white skull plastered across it stood proudly at the very top of the front mast. The wood was a dark red, and the sails had bold red stripes running down them.

"Pirates," Natsu muttered disdainfully as he gave a low growl and pushed Lucy slightly behind him. She followed his stony glare to the front of the massive boat where a black haired man faced away from them. He wore a red hat decorated with a fluffy white feather and was dressed in a bright red coat. What chilled Lucy to the core, though, was the shiny hook in place of a hand that he was absently tapping against the edge of the boats wall.

"Captain Hook," Natsu muttered to her snidely. "He doesn't know how to take a hint and get off my island."

Lucy swallowed tightly, her gaze fixed on his hook. She wondered briefly how sharp it was. "What happened to his hand?"

Natsu gave a bitter chuckle. "That's a long story. I'll tell it to 'ya sometime."

They stood silently as the boat passed them and disappeared into the mouth of what appeared to be a large, dark cave. Natsu beckoned her to follow him as he quickly ran along the riverside towards the entrance.

As they reached the rocky cave, he held a finger to his lips and led her inside, keeping their bodies nearly glued to the wall. Lucy's heart pounded in her chest at the proximity to the intimidating boat that towered over them a mere 10 feet away.

Natsu took her hand and they flew silently up the cave wall, where they landed on a small ledge near the top of the cave, overlooking the boat and its crew.

They both laid down and peered over the edge of the flat surface, studying the pirate crew.

There were ten men, all large and muscular, circling menacingly around a girl. She had short, almost white hair and sat on the deck with her arms tied behind her back with rope. A large anchor was tied to her chest with chains.

Natsu cursed beside her. "Lisanna."

The man Lucy had seen earlier, Captain Hook as Natsu had called him, stood before Lisanna with a cruel sneer on his otherwise handsome face. With his large charcoal eyes locked on her face, he drew a scimitar and placed the point directly upon Lisanna's nose.

Lucy gave a small gasp, inching forward but was yanked back by Natsu's firm grip. She turned to demand he help the girl but stopped when she saw his seriousness. His jaw was clenched and his dark eyes held a rage within that almost frightened Lucy.

Lucy focused on the pirate crew once more when Captain Hook's deep, rough voice echoed throughout the cave.

"Do you know why you were brought here, girl?"

Lisanna simply glared at him before turning her face away, lifting her nose up snidely.

Captain Hook growled loudly, using his sword to force her to face him again. "You _will_ answer me."

She simply snorted and turned her face in the opposite direction.

His face reddened with anger, and he jerked her up by the chains with his hook. Shoving his face into hers, he threatened, "If you don't tell me where his lair is, I _will_ throw you in the water."

As if hearing his words, a sudden loud splash in the water drew the attention of everyone present. A crocodile so large that Lucy was sure it was some kind of other monster, appeared above the surface of the water. Its black, beady eyes were focused on the plank as if expecting its next meal.

Captain Hook smirked, dragging Lisanna to the edge of the boat and shoving her onto the plank.

She glanced over the edge at the crocodile, and Lucy was baffled at her calm countenance. Shouldn't she be afraid? It was a man-eating monster waiting to gobble her up, yet Lisanna gazed upon so nonchalantly that it might as well have been a meager fish.

Lucy whispered to Natsu, "Why isn't she afraid?"

Natsu gave her a toothy grin, lifting his body up into a crouch. "'Cause she knows I'm here."

Lucy blinked. She hadn't even thought about that. Lisanna hadn't given them a single glance, though, how could she possibly know they were there?

Captain Hook was studying Lisanna carefully, seemingly irritated at her lack of response. "One last chance, girl. Tell me where Fairy Tail is."

The corner of her mouth turned up. "You will never be welcomed there or anywhere on this island for that matter. Give it up. You will never win."

Captain Hook's snarled and lifted his sword to to lash out at her. Before he had the chance, however, Lisanna, a hint of a smile upon her lips, allowed herself to fall backwards with her eyes shut. _Directly towards the crocodile._ The monsters large mouth, bordered with razor sharp teeth, was opened wide expectantly.

Lucy gave a small scream of horror but before she could even think about getting onto her feet, Lisanna was snatched out of the air by none other than Natsu Dragneel.

Shocked, Lucy glanced to her left and sure enough, he wasn't there. She hadn't even heard him leave.

Carrying Lisanna bridal style, Natsu flew towards the other side of the cave and dropped the grinning girl unceremoniously on a different ledge opposite side of the cave overlooking the boat.

Glancing towards Lucy, he winked. A blush blossomed across her face but before she could respond, Natsu had untied Lisanna's hands and leaped from the ledge.

Captain Hook was furiously shouting orders, his crew scrambling across the deck as they began to load up the cannons.

Natsu, eyes twinkling mischievously, circled the bottom of the boat once, twice, three times before flying with lightning speed towards Hook. He yanked the sword from the unsuspecting Captain's hand and after slicing their skull flag from the mast, he tossed the weapon into the water near the impatiently waiting crocodile.

Captain Hook stilled momentarily in pure shock as Natsu flashed him a grin from his perch on the top of the center mast.

Lucy licked her lips nervously as the group of menacing pirates began to quickly climb the mast towards her friend who had yet to move. One of the said pirates, slender than the rest, seemed to fly up the mast and was quickly within a few feet of Natsu, who was still watching the Captain with reserved anger. As the pirate began to reach for Natsu, Lucy called out his name in fear.

The Captain's eyes darted to her, and Lucy cowered back in fear.

Natsu moved away from the reaching pirate so fast that he was a blur, dashing back over to Lisanna who stood ready to go. Straightening his back as he faced the Captain, who still hadn't moved from his spot, Natsu saluted the group of pirates mockingly. "Until next time, Captain Hook!"

Natsu scooped up Lisanna into his arms, and they quickly disappeared through the mouth of the cave with the pirates cursing loudly behind them.

Lucy blinked in utter astonishment. Had he just… left her?

—

10 points to whoever guesses who Hook, Smitty, and Tinkerbell are. Next chapter will be up in a day or two. :) Let me know who you want to see!

-K


	3. Mermaids

Lucy blinked several times at the cave entrance disbelievingly, half expecting Natsu's grinning face to appear with a big "got 'ya" expression plastered across his face. Much to Lucy's dismay, though, he never came back.

Her eyes flashed back to the pirate ship, and she squeaked in surprise when she met the glares of every shipmate on deck.

The Captain stepped forward towards her, and Lucy flinched back instinctively despite being separated by a body of water. "Another conquest of Natsu's, I presume?"

Lucy winced. Was he implying that Natsu brought back lots of girls? Did he use them and throw them away like her father had done to so many women after her mother? She didn't want to believe it, but really, how much did she know about this boy?

"Stand up, girl. Let's have a look at you."

There was an aura surrounding the Captain that was so powerful Lucy felt obligated to obey. She stood reluctantly, straightening her back proudly and dusting off her silk pajama pant set that she still wore from the previous night. She bravely met the strong glare of Captain Hook.

His eyes swept across her body, goosebumps blossoming across her skin at the slimy feeling his gaze left behind.

"I am no conquest." Her voice came out stronger than what she thought her racing heart would allow.

He smirked, raising an eyebrow as he responded mockingly, "Well, you definitely don't belong _here_."

She silently cursed Natsu for abandoning her. He was so going to get it the next time she laid eyes on him. "And who are you to tell me where I do and do not belong?"

His smile widened. "I am Captain Hook, and you'd do well to remember that one."

Lucy swallowed thickly but before she could respond, he made some gesture at his men, and she felt her heart skip a beat when his crew all began moving at the same time- all directly towards her.

Squeaking, Lucy rushed into action. Darting to the edge of the ledge, she peered over the side and swallowed nervously at the steep slope. She was almost positive the weird glittery dust that Natsu had given her had worn off, so there was no way that she could simply fly herself down. She'd have to slide.

Shrugging her book bag off, she hugged it, with Plue yipping indignantly inside, to her chest. Glancing at the pirates who were beginning to board small canoes to make their way safely to her, Lucy lowered her body to the edge and pushed herself down the slope before she could overthink it. To prevent her body from raising off of the rocks, Lucy attempted to flatten herself as much as possible, using her hands to hold onto the slope as much as she could.

Tears sprang to her eyes at the near unbearable pain of the sharp stones digging into her many bruises and slicing open both the palms of her hands and her legs.

It seemed like minutes had past but she stumbled to the ground in a matter of seconds, scrambling up as she swung her bag over her shoulder once more. Without so much as a glance back, she dashed through the cave entrance with her heart pounding in her chest and her body sore from the abuse of her slide.

Shielding her eyes from the bright light peeking its way through the tops of the trees by the rising sun, Lucy chose a random direction and continued to sprint away from the pirates.

With branches slapping against her face and arms and her legs protesting every step that she took, Lucy lost track of how much time she had been running for. Her ragged breath had begun to sting her throat, and her legs felt like lead moving through mud. Before she could collapse of exhaustion, she broke free of the woods and found herself once again at the edge of the island on the beach.

Her breaths began to come in short gasps as the events of the day started to catch up with her. Leaving her father behind to come to a strange land with a boy who she didn't even know.

Lucy scowled upon thinking of Natsu. That damn pink haired idiot had abandoned her.

For all he knew, she could be _dead_. Her heart hurt for some reason when she thought about how he wouldn't even care.

She was a fool to have come, and she walked briskly to the edge of the water to sit bitterly on one of the large boulders bordering the ocean.

How the hell was she supposed to get back home now? She couldn't fly. The fairy dust or whatever sorcery Natsu had used on her had clearly expired, and she was rendered defenseless in a land full of violent pirates.

Her head sunk into the palms of her hands as tears began to swim beneath her eyelids. Not for the first time in her life, she had absolutely no clue what to do.

She wondered briefly if her mother would ever find out or even care if she died right then and there.

"Excuse me, but who are _you_?"

Lucy jumped, her eyes flying up in surprise to find… a mermaid?

"Close your mouth, you strange girl. Something nasty might just find its way in." Another voice shook her out of her trance, and Lucy was startled to find that there was a group of three of them. A blonde, a brunette, and a redhead leaning up against the large stones watching her curiously as their green tails flapped through the water behind them.

Embarrassed, Lucy realized that her jaw had indeed dropped, and she was quick to close it as a heated blush spread across her cheeks.

In a world with flying and pirates, were mermaids really that strange?

As Lucy's eyes dropped shortly to the shells that somehow clung to their breasts, she came to the conclusion that it was in fact very strange.

Licking her lips nervously, Lucy stood before brushing off her pajama bottoms. "Well, I'm… I'm Lucy. I'm not exactly from here."

The brunette, who had spoken first, rose her eyebrows condescendingly. "You don't say."

The redhead, who had jabbed at her before, grinned leeringly. "Why don't you go back to where you come from then? Freak."

Lucy narrowed her eyes. From the looks of it, not all mermaids were like Ariel. "I would love to go back home, thank you. This place is a disaster."

The blonde giggled, whispering behind her hand loudly, "She can't know what a true disaster is if she leaves home with hair looking like _that_."

Lucy scowled at the outbursts of laughter. Marching up to the edge of her boulder, she placed her hands on her hips before sneering down at them. "Why don't you go back to where you came from before I chop you up and make sushi out of your tails?"

The three mermaids exchanged mischievous looks before turning and grinning maliciously at her. The brunette spoke first. "Was that a threat, girl?"

Lucy rolled her eyes at being called "girl" once again. "Take it as you will, I couldn't care less."

The blonde clapped her hands together in excitement. "Oh, did you hear that girls? It _was_ a threat!"

Before Lucy to take a step back from all the dangerous looks that she was receiving, a hand reached out and latched itself onto her ankle. Gasping, Lucy immediately tried to pull herself back but with one quick yank, she found herself submerged in the ocean.

Salt water filled her gaping mouth and burned its way down her throat, and she instinctively began choking. Several pairs of small hands were grabbing at her dress and she could feel herself being pulled deeper into the depths of the sea.

Her eyes flew open in fear, and through the blurriness she could just make out the faces of her tormentors.

Was this what drowning felt like?

As soon as her eyesight began fading away, Lucy was yanked up hard by her book bag and pulled out of the water.

Immediately, she began sucking in oxygen while simultaneously attempting to expel the water from her body.

She could feel herself falling into a warm body, the unknown person shaking her wildly, but she focused on staying conscious and catching her breath.

A whimper from her bag had her body run cold. _Plue_.

With renewed strength, Lucy jerked away from her savior and pulled her book bag into her hands. Yanking down the zipper, she picked up Plue as she let her bag fall onto the rocks.

Clutching her soaked, but breathing, dog to her chest, Lucy gave a small sob of relief. He must have held his breath by some miracle.

A snide voice came from back in the water. "What _is_ that thing?"

Anger filled her entire body and it was as if her nerves had been set on fire. Plue could have died. As she opened her mouth to scream at the idiotic mermaids, though, more water made its way up her throat.

Her savior, who Lucy realized to be Natsu at the sight of his pink hair, took Plue before she could drop him and she noted him being placed safely on the shore in her peripheral vision.

As Lucy spluttered and coughed out all of the water from her burning lungs, Natsu appeared again and steadied her with a firm hand gripped around her forearm as he clapped his free hand on her back hard. Finally finding her voice, she rasped out, "You… You could have killed my dog!" As if in response, Plue yipped indignantly from the shore.

Natsu blinked, stunned briefly, before turning a stoney glare to the mermaids who shrank down into the water in fear. "You could have easily drowned them both. The hell is the matter with you?"

The blonde, who Lucy decided she hated the most, fluttered her eyelashes flirtatiously up at Natsu as she pouted. "But Natsu-kun, we were just playing. We didn't even know she had a dog in her bag, honest!"

Natsu scowled fiercely, his grip around Lucy's arm dropping so he could clasp her hand with his, much to the irritation of the mermaids. Lucy found her face lighting up in embarrassment as she realized how nice and warm his palm felt against hers. "Asrai, don't play with me. She's nakama now, and _we don't mess with nakama_."

With loud huffs, both the brunette and redhead dove back into the sea with one last hate-filled look sent Lucy's way. The blonde, Asrai, remained, her eyes flashing between their intertwined hands and Natsu's face. Lucy almost pitied her at the sheer amount of pain shown in her bright blue orbs.

… Almost.

A somber look overtook Asrai's beautiful face, as she bowed down her head in admission. "I really am sorry, Natsu. I didn't…" Her eyes flashed towards his hand gripping Lucy's tightly. "I didn't realize how much she meant to you."

Lucy glanced up at Natsu curiously, but he was facing the opposite direction with his bangs hiding his real emotions. Lucy wondered at the history that they so obviously had and shifted uncomfortably at the new tension thick in the air.

Asrai's eyes met her own, and Lucy suddenly felt much more uncomfortable and confused at the major shift in personality. Asrai spoke softly, "I am sorry. From now on, you're a friend of ours…?"

Lucy bit her lip nervously, but with no sign from Natsu. she responded in kind. "Lucy."

The mermaid flinched and proceeded to smile sadly. "Lucy. Natsu and Lucy, just as Cana said. Goodbye."

Lucy could have sworn there had been tears in Asrai's eyes but she crossed it off as nothing. It could have easily been water.

Before she could confront Natsu for how he had left her earlier (and probably, maybe, thank him for saving the lives of her and Plue), his hand yanked itself from her grip and he began to stalk off towards the forest almost angrily.

As Lucy stood there uncertainly, she watched the retreating back of Natsu and feared briefly that he was leaving her again. He stopped several feet away, though, his back stiff as if he were contemplating something important. It better not be whether or not he was going to abandon her there because he was the one who brought her here, and she'd be damned if he thought he could leave her to fend for her own-!

Natsu broke the awkward silence as he turned towards her and gave her his signature face splitting grin. Lucy rose her eyebrow in confusion. This guy was definitely bipolar. "You ready to meet Fairy Tail, Luigi?"

Her forehead ticked, and suddenly the events of the stressful day were catching up to her once again like they had been before meeting the mermaids. "IT'S LUCY, DAMN YOU." Before she could lunge and send him the Lucy-kick she originally intended, she lost her balance on the slippery rocks and felt her body tip backwards.

She met Natsu's shocked expression before the back of her head slapped against something hard with a large crack, and the world around her went dark with one last fleeting thought of how painful she was going to make Natsu's death.

—

Author's note: y'all, I'm the worst. I nearly failed out of college my first semester & I have no dang excuse. Take school seriously friends, it is sooooo easy to screw it all up. Starting next chapter now, so it'll be out within the week!

Also, I love all of your guesses! Two of you guessed correctly :-)

-K


	4. Nightmares

Lucy's first observation was that the wind roaring in her ears was freezing against her bare arms. Shivering, she huddled more into the warm and firm pillow that she was pressed up against. When the pillow moved, though, and begin to wrap itself around her more tightly, she realized it was in fact not a pillow.

Eyes flying open in shock, she discovered that it was Natsu who was carrying her bridal style. His jaw was clenched and his eyes narrowed into mere slits when he realized she had awakened.

She blinked. Was he mad at her or something? She tried to remember exactly what had happened last and why he was carrying her as he flew through the night sky.

Looking past Natsu's stern face, Lucy watched as the stars passed by in white blurs and she cocked her head in confusion. Last she checked, stars didn't move and it wasn't like she and Natsu were going that fast.

She opened her mouth to question Natsu, but the words got caught up in her throat when she met his eyes. They were dark, darker even than the night sky, and she felt as if her soul was being sucked into the two bottomless pits.

A pathetic whimper passed her lips as she tried to say something, say _anything_ , but Natsu rolled his eyes as he returned his frightening gaze back to the sky before him. As soon as his eyes left hers, it was as if a spell was broken and she could breathe again.

"They all will grow scared of me when they find out, you know." His voice was different somehow, more emotionless and yet evil at the same time with the smallest undertone of a sadness so great, she could feel it seeping blackness into her heart. Lucy wondered briefly how she could gather all of that from just one voice uttering such a simple sentence.

"Scared?" Her voice came out as a whisper, and she cleared her throat before trying again. "I think you give yourself too much credit. You aren't scary to me, Natsu."

He chuckled bitterly, and the sound of his harsh laughter made Lucy flinch. "If only you knew, Lucy."

Lucy blinked, surprised as she briefly forgot about his strangeness. 'You… you called me by my name. It's about time, I was beginning to think-!"

As if ignoring that she had even spoken, Natsu continued with his eyes trained unwavering to the unseen path before him. "I'm a monster. A bloodthirsty monster. Every single second that I am with you, I have to fight against this urge to…"

His words ignited something fearful within her and Lucy's heart was pounding in her chest as she whispered breathlessly, "Urge to what, Natsu?"

His hands suddenly tightened around her and Lucy gasped as she felt sharp pain where he was holding onto her. Glancing down, she gave a small cry when she realized he had spawned fearsome claws that had dug their way inch deep into both her left arm and leg. Blood was already pouring from her wounds, making his black claws glisten beneath the starlight. "Natsu! Natsu, you're hurting me!"

The nails dug even deeper in response and Lucy screamed when she felt them scrape against her bones. She thrashed around in his arms, wildly trying to get away, but he was too strong and it only resulted in the nails slicing the entire length of her forearm. Another scream ripped from her throat. "Natsu, stop! Oh Mavis, please!"

His face flashed to hers and it was like time itself stopped as she felt herself get caught up in those dangerously terrifying black orbs that some would call eyes.

They sucked her in further and further, until she could feel everything else in her surroundings but those inky depths disappear. Her world was getting darker and darker and Lucy could feel her body melting into nothingness. It was as if her existence itself was being washed away.

"PAPA!"

There were hands grabbing at her shoulders as she flew up from her bed and Lucy's fists blindly swung out and connected with something hard with a loud crunch. Someone cursed immediately while someone else simultaneously gave out a small feminine cry of surprise.

Her chest heaving, Lucy scooted back from the voices until her back hit the bed's headboard.

She drew her knees to her chest as her hands covered her face, shaking her head wildly to dispel the awful image of Natsu's blank eyes. She willed her heart to stop it's relentless pounding, her heart rate so fast that she almost felt faint.

"Luigi?" His voice came softly, almost hesitantly, and she felt the bed dip beside her.

She peeked in between her fingers and flinched back when their eyes met. _They were black._

He frowned deeply in response, his eyebrows knitting together in a hurt confusion. "It was just a dream. You're okay, you're in Fairy Tail."

Lucy glanced around the room briefly, her gaze landing on a small blue haired girl that appeared to be just as petrified as Lucy. When their eyes met, however, the girl offered Lucy a kind smile that seemed to shake away most of Lucy's unease.

When she turned her attention back to Natsu, she breathed out in relief when she noted his eyes were full of emotions- hurt and guilt. They weren't empty and… evil. Lucy shuddered in memory. _Calm down, heart!_

"Luigi?"

Lucy dropped her hands from her face and rolled her eyes irritatedly at the name, her heart beat gradually slowing down. " _Lucy_ , you dimwit. What happened?" She noted the blood dripping from his nose, and she winced guiltily. She must have whacked him when she woke up.

Natsu rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "You slipped on the rocks by the beach. Guess I kinda made you a little mad, and you got pretty clumsy."

At the reminder of her fall, her head began to throb angrily. Her fingers came up to press down on her temples, but it did little to nothing to help.

The girl spoke up at this. "Oh, you hit your head pretty hard! Here, let me help with that."

Lucy nodded gratefully, holding out her hand for whatever pills the girl could give her. But instead of giving her medicine, the girl gently nudged Lucy's hand away from her temple and grasped both sides of her head firmly. Lucy's eyes widened in fear when the girl began to glow slightly but before she could pull away, the girl was done and promptly stepped away herself. And Lucy's headache was… completely gone.

Lucy's eyes widened in surprise and she stared up at the girl in wonder. "How… how did you do that?"

The girl smiled and tugged at her pigtails shyly. "It's a gift, I suppose."

Natsu scoffed. "You're impressed at _that_? Just wait until you see what else she can do. Better yet, wait until you see _my_ gift!"

Rolling her eyes, she turned back to the boy who still sat close by on her left side. "Oh, and what gift is that? Besides ditching-" Lucy stopped, freezing entirely when she remembered what exactly Natsu had done. Her blood seemed to turn itself into liquid rage.

Without really thinking, her hand darted out to the bedstand beside her, where her shoes rested upon her neatly folded pajamas (when had those been removed?). Grabbing one of the bedroom slippers, she quickly slapped Natsu on the head with it as hard as she could.

Natsu yelped and fell off the bed in shock, tumbling to the ground and landing hard on his butt. "What… what the hell was _that_ for, woman?!"

Lucy's glare intensified at his mock of innocence, and she spiked the slipper directly at his face. It slapped right against his forehead, and Natsu released yet another yelp, covering his face protectively. "YOU LEFT ME WITH THOSE PIRATES!"

Natsu dropped his hands and his mouth formed a surprised 'O' in realization, but before she could make another move, he quickly leaped over the bed and yanked the other shoe out of Lucy's reach. Hiding it behind his back, he rubbed his forehead grudgingly as he pouted. "How was I supposed to know you wouldn't just fly after me?"

Lucy's eye twitched, her hands itching for that slipper. "I'm not like you, idiot! I can't fly without that weird glittery dust."

Natsu rolled his eyes dramatically and Lucy's urge to hit him only intensified. "You only stopped being able to fly because you stopped believing you could."

"That doesn't make any sense. You can't just believe your way into being able to do the impossible."

Natsu grinned, nudging the smiling blue hair girl that stood silently beside him. "And that's exactly why she'll never learn to fly properly, Wendy."

Lucy clenched her fists but before she could respond, the Wendy girl stepped in front of Natsu and grabbed her hand gently. "Do you think you can stand?"

Blinking in surprise, Lucy nodded.

"Well, what do you say you come meet the rest of Fairy Tail?"

Behind Wendy, Natsu gave her his most heartwarming smile, his dark eyes sparkling in the light that creeped through the curtains behind her bed.

Lucy wondered briefly how she could ever be afraid of those beautiful eyes before nodding towards Wendy. "Yeah… Yeah, I'd like that."

—-

Author's note: oops really short but new chapter what what. expect another update next Monday :)


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